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Primal vs 9 Lives

Primal vs. 9 Lives

In this comparison article for Primal vs 9 Lives, we'll highlight the key differences between these two pet food brands. To properly compare Primal and 9 Lives, we'll use up-to-date nutritional and price information.

There are many factors to consider when choosing the best pet food brand for your pet. Factors such as ingredient quality, guaranteed analysis, product safety, brand history, and cost are among the most important factors to consider.

Throughout this 9 Lives vs Primal comparison, we've utilized average data to make general comparisons. If you'd like to see individual product reviews, visit our Primal Review Page or 9 Lives Review Page.

Guaranteed Analysis: 9 Lives vs. Primal

According to AAFCO, all pet food labels must provide a guaranteed analysis of nutrient content. The analysis must provide guaranteed minimum percentages of crude protein and crude fat, and maximum percentages of crude fiber and moisture.

All percentages used in this comparison are averages reported on a dry matter basis.

Primal Cat Food vs. 9 Lives Cat Food

Dry Cat FoodPrimal9 Lives
Crude Protein50.1%35.2%
Crude Fat24.0%9.8%
Crude Fiber4.8%4.2%
Wet/Canned Cat FoodPrimal9 Lives
Crude Protein54.6%45.9%
Crude Fat25.4%16.7%
Crude Fiber4.1%5.0%

Crude Protein Comparison For Cat Food

Protein is an extremely important part of your cat's diet. Without sufficient protein, cats can develop a wide-range of serious health problems.

Primal dry cat foods clearly provides more protein than 9 Lives. In fact, the difference between the protein content is roughly 14.92%, which is a significant amount. Similarly, Primal wet cat foods provide significantly more protein than 9 Lives wet foods.


Crude Fat Comparison For Cat Food

There are many ways in which dietary fat contributes to the overall health of our feline friends. Here is a short list of benefits provided by fats (not exhaustive):

  • Aid in the digestion and absorption of fat-soluble vitamins
  • Improve the health of skin/coat
  • Slow the growth of yeast infections
  • Slow the development and spread of certain type of cancers.
  • Maintain healthy blood pressure

On average, Primal dry cat food recipes contain 14.19% more fat than 9 Lives recipes. Clearly, there is a significant difference between the fat content of 9 Lives and Primal. Similarly, Primal wet cat foods provide significantly more protein than 9 Lives wet foods.


Both brands provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber. With regards to wet cat food, 9 Lives and Primal also provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber.

Primal Pet Food Ingredients vs. 9 Lives Pet Food Ingredients

Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by 9 Lives.

Liver
Giblets
Iron Oxide
Whole Wheat
Brewers Rice
Animal Digest
Caramel Color
Soybean Flour
Soybean Hulls
Poultry Giblets
Corn Gluten Meal
Meat By-Products
Meat And Bone Meal
Poultry By-Products
Turkey By-Product Meal
Chicken By-Product Meal
Ground Whole Grain Corn
Poultry By-Product Meal
Soybean Protein Concentrate
Animal Fat (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols)
Vegetable Oil (Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols)

We believe that certain pet food ingredients are linked to adverse health affects; these ingredients are classified as harmful.

Here are some of the harmful ingredients used only by 9 Lives.

Bha
Red 3
Blue 1
Blue 2
Red 40
Yellow 5
Yellow 6
Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex
Vegetable Oil (Preserved With Bha/Bht)
Canthaxanthin (Preserved With Ethoxyquin)

Product Safety: Recall History of Primal & 9 Lives?

Primal has been recalled 2 times.

  • March 13, 2015: low thiamine level
  • Dec. 22, 2017: incorrect bone grind size

9 Lives has been recalled once.

  • Dec. 7, 2018: low levels of thiamine

Price Comparison: Which Brand Is More Expensive?

Dry Cat FoodPrimal9 Lives
Per Pound$45.93$1.62
Per Calorie$0.0230$0.0011

The average cost-per-lb is heavily influenced by the varying amounts of moisture present in each brand's food products (wet vs. dry food, dry vs. freeze-dried food, etc). However, the average cost-per-kcal eliminates the influence of moisture. Therefore, the average cost-per-kcal is the better metric to consider.

If you'd like to calculate the average cost-per-day or cost-pet-year of feeding Primal or 9 Lives, input your pet's weight into our cost analyzer widget.

Averages price data can identify whether or not there exists a significant price difference between two brands. However, the actual price that you'll pay for Primal or 9 Lives will depend on your shopping habits.

Pet owners who use our price comparison feature typically save more than 25% off retail prices for Primal and 9 Lives. In addition, we currently have some great coupons for our readers.


Disclosure: PawDiet has an affiliate relationship with stores featured (or linked-to) in this article. We are compensated for referring customers. Thank you for shopping with our retail partners!

Where To Buy Primal Pet Foods

You can purchase Primal pet foods from the following stores:


15 Recipes In-Stock Today

20 Recipes In-Stock Today

15 Recipes In-Stock Today

14 Recipes In-Stock Today

Where To Buy 9 Lives Pet Foods

You can purchase 9 Lives pet food products from these retailers:


11 Recipes In-Stock Today

7 Recipes In-Stock Today

13 Recipes In-Stock Today

Type Of Pet Foods Available

ProductPrimal9 Lives
Dry Dog FoodNoneNone
Wet Dog FoodNoneNone
Dog Treats6 TreatsNone
Dry Cat FoodNone6 Recipes
Wet Cat FoodNone34 Recipes
Cat TreatsNoneNone

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